Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-06-02
BENEFITS OF A COLLEGE.

BENEFITS OF A COLLEGE.
We clip the following well written
article from the Atchinson Champion,
and as Dodge City may be classed among
the college towns will be in
few months-the article will prove in
teresting and altogether appropriate:
Few people realize the intellectual,
moral and material benefits of college
to community.
A college first of all brings to town
buildings that are not only attractive
in themselves, but which usually form
a nucleus around, which residences nat
urally group themselves-the home of
faculty, which may mean anywhere
from ten to fifty houses. In addition
to these, as in every college town, the
best citizens vie with each other in
erecting near the college, residences
commensurate with their means, orna-
menting and identifying the grounds
until the college quarter becomes the
center of attraction for the whole COM
munity. Then the students, which,
taking one college with another through
out the country averages four hundred.
for the whole four years term, will ex-
pend all the way from three to SIX hum
bred dollars per capita, per annum or
total of between 500, 600 and $50, 900
not including the expenditures of the
professors and their families and the
current expence of the college; which
will easily treble that amount; all or
nearly all, expended in the town where
the college is located; this does not in
clude the cost of the buildings and their
annual repairs and improvements, which
will foot up all the way from one-quarter
to one-half million.
These estimates are on the basis OF
college for about four hundred stu
dents. As the college grows older
these figures of course, will be proper
'tionately increased.
When it comes to the purely intel
lectual and moral benefits, the standard
of value is much higher, although en-
tirely different.
To begin with, college, aside from
the benefits conferred upon its students,
gives an intellectual tone to, improves
the intellectual life, and changes the
whole mental current of the community.
1t will, in time, transform town not
much given into a book loving, book
reading town.
1t inspires thoughtfulness and stu
dy, developes and cultivates the minds
Of the mass Of the people by the sheer
force of contract with cultured people
and literary surroundings. Just as an
ordinary and uneducated person by
association with his mental superiors
absorbs almost unconsciously, much
that changes, improves and elevates the
whole trend of his thinking, and broad
ems out his intellectual faculties, until
in the course of time, he has become
transformed into person of more av-
erage culture.
What the Kansas State university
has done for the intellectual life of
Lawreance, and what the Washburn
and Bethany Colleges have done for
Topeka, and what Baldwin University
has done for Baldwin City. and what
the Agricultural College has done for
Manhattan, that Is what any properly
maintained and conducted college will
do for any place where it is located.
The value Of an influence in mold
ing though and in directing the intel
lectual life OF the community into
wider, deeper and safer channels, is be-
yond computation. So that if no ma
terial benefits result directly from the
the location of college in town, the
intellectual benefits would more than
compensate for the original outlay re-
quired to secure it.
When to all this is added the moral
benefits, particularly if the college be
of a religious or even semi-religious
character, underline auspices of a recog-
lied church, and in the hands of scholar
ly and religious men whose aim is moral
as well as mental culture, the volume
of benefit is augmented beyond appraise-
ment.
The current of wholesome, we'll dis
ciplined and properly directed moral
influences sweeping out over the COM
munlty from such an institution bears
on its rising tides the highest, noblest
and best interests of society.
The benefits of college to a COM
munity are to be considered then, and
valued, in the order named, and when
SO estimated, the people who have an
opportunity at comparatively small
expenditure of money to secure COL
lege, are wise, If they embrace it, and
should receive every encouragement
in their endeavOr to do so.